These No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars taste like Reece’s peanut butter cups! A soft peanut butter biscuit base topped with a peanut butter flavoured chocolate, all you need are 5 ingredients: biscuits, butter, chocolate, peanut butter and sugar.
This is the ultimate emergency sweet-treat!
NO BAKE Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
When it comes to sweet treats, these No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are probably what I make the most often because it’s so quick to pull together, no bake, and WHO DOESN’T LOVE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS???
Plus, I almost always have everything I need to make these. Even though biscuits aren’t part of my weekly shop, usually if I dig deep into the giant baskets into which I toss everything that doesn’t have an obvious dedicated position in the pantry, then usually I’ll find some sort of biscuit suitable to use.
A month past the due by date, perhaps. Pffff! That’s fine. Everyone knows that the used by date for things like dried goods are conservative. Right? 😜
And actually, here’s proof of how frequently I make these: I just realised as I was pulling together the photos for this post how they don’t fit together like a set, and it’s because I shot them all on different days.
The photos you see in this post are from 3 different batches where I snapped a quick photo thinking hmm, I really should re-publish these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe with a video soon, and finally I got my butt into gear and actually did it.
Albeit I’ve ended up with a weird set of photos from three different days. Four actually – because the step photos were taken while making the recipe video! 🙈
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe truly is pure gold. It was given to me by a reader, the lovely Dorothy from Tennessee, way back when I started this blog. It’s only 5 ingredients – crackers, peanut butter, chocolate, icing sugar (confectionary sugar) and butter. That’s it.
And it’s NO BAKE. Waiting for it to set is the hardest part of this recipe.
I usually approach “5 ingredient” recipes with caution. I find that many “5 Ingredient” recipes I see usually include a store bought sauce or similar. Like 5 ingredient BBQ chicken which includes a “bottle of your favourite barbecue sauce”.
When I see recipes like that, I instantly think that’s cheating!! 😂
Please don’t ask me why in my twisted mind, this counts as a 5 ingredient recipe “made from scratch” even though it is made using crackers. It just is.
#FemaleLogic
– Nagi x
For the Peanut Butter Obsessed
-
Peanut Butter Caramel Pie – dangerously easy, outrageously decadent
-
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies – just 3 ingredients!
More irresistible bars and slices
-
Brownies!! AND Salted Caramel Stuffed Brownies – ooh la la!
-
Caramel Slice (aka Millionaire’s Bar!) – the great Aussie favourite!
-
Strawberry Bars – made with tons of fresh strawberries!
-
Easiest Ever Raspberries Jam Bars and Lemon Bars
And more emergency sweet treats – 3 Ingredient Desserts!!
-
1 ingredient Dulce de Leche – Slow Cooker Caramel
-
Classic Scones – and faster Lemonade Scones – both 3 ingredients!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Sometimes it helps to have a visual so watch me make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars!
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5 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (NO BAKE!)
Ingredients
Base
- 115g / 1/2 cup / 1 US stick melted salted butter (or unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp salt)
- 1 cup crushed Arnott's Marie crackers (11 crackers) or graham cracker crumbs (8 crackers) (Note 1)
- 1 cup icing sugar / powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth)
Topping
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips - the melting kind (US: semi sweet) (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth)
Instructions
- Butter and line a 8" / 20cm square dish or pan with baking paper.
- Place the Base ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. Press into the prepared pan.
- Melt the Topping ingredients (I do it in the microwave in 2 x 30 second bursts). Pour and spread over the Base - smooth the top or do swirls (see photos for examples of each).
- Refrigerate until set - about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from fridge, allow to come to room temp slightly (so top cuts neatly). Cut into 16 squares (or whatever shape you want!). Best served at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe was originally published January 2018. Updated for some housekeeping matters in October 2018, no change to recipe!
LIFE OF DOZER
That time he snuck on mum’s couch and we wondered how many cushions we could pile on him. We ran out of cushions.
It must be peanut butter chocolate week! I’m also wondering about how you managed to cut them so clean, they look perfect. 🙂
No tricks! I’m not much of a baker so I don’t have any styling tips for sweets 🙂 I just used a very big sharp knife and ran it under warm water then wiped it dry before using. 🙂
You must think I’m following in your footsteps or something!! 🙂
That looks like my kind of treat! Thanks to Dorothy for sharing it with you… your food styling is really incredible Nagi. That slice that you’ve bitten looks so yummy. Wait, it’s calling me!
It sure is calling your name Mel!! What are you waiting for?? 😉 N x
What can I substitute graham crackers or Ann Marie crackers with in the UK? Would digestive biscuits be ok? They have a distinctive malty flavour due to the use of coarse brown wheat flour.
Hi Ann! Digestives are perfect. I actually made them with digestives the other day. I love digestives!!! You can’t taste that malty flavour once everything else is in. Well, at least I couldn’t. 🙂 I’ll update the recipe!
Hi Nagi
Made these today with Digestives. Mmmmm awesome. Do I really have to leave some until my family get home? If I eat the lot they would never know that I had made them, would they? he he. On second thoughts I would probably feel quite ill and then they might just guess! I’ll be nice and leave some for them – this time…..
Ann! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!! Forget your family. Pop them in a box and hide them somewhere. They’ll never know…until you go up a jeans size!! He he!! 🙂
simple and delicious. those are the best. and thank you for allowing me to keep the oven off in this texas heat! haha
Ha! Didn’t even THINK of your heat but yes! Perfect for those lucky ones in the height of summer. I’ll trade your heat for our miserable cold weather anyday. 🙂
These are just so darn decadent! And they are FIVE ingredients AND they are no bake!!! Darn! Why are they on my screen on not on my plate! 🙂
Shashi, these are ridiculous. RIDICULOUS! Honestly. I cannot get over how good they are and how FAST they are to make!! N x
Wow these bars look incredible and sound so easy to make! I love your photography by the way, the shadows and the lighting makes them look stunning! Your food is too pretty to eat!
Thanks for the kind words – but there’s no such thing as too pretty to eat!! 😉 N x
Woot, woot! Way to go Dorothy! Thanks for posting this incredible recipe, Nagi! You know I have a serious weakness for peanut butter and chocolate! I can’t get over how quickly and easily I can make these…. this could be dangerous, very dangerous indeed!
Dorothy is a LEGEND. I seriously have made these so many times its ridiculous. Chocolate melts, graham crackers and peanut butter are now regular pantry items because of this recipe. It’s my “go to” sweet treat whenever people are coming over cause it literally takes 10 minutes to make!! N x
Hi Nagi! You are way over inflating my ego! I just like good, sometimes simple and sometimes complex, food! That said, I will definitely tell my husband that I am now as “Legend”. Haha! 🙂
Well you’re certainly becoming famous on MY site! have you seen all the comments about you from other readers and bloggers? 🙂 N x Thank you again! N x
Yesssssssss to everything about this. Graham cracker crusts are my favorite to make (and eat)! And chocolate and peanut butter is the best combination. Is it weird to say I’m in love with Dorothy because of this recipe?
Not weird at ALL! She’s a legend!! 🙂 I know, how good are Graham cracker crusts?? Honestly, forget the cheesecake filling. Just give me more crust!! N x
Hi Nagi! You are too funny about the cheesecake crust! We have a friend (80 years “young” man) with an enormous sweet tooth – he buys graham cracker pie crusts and fills them with Redi-whip! I have another graham cracker, chocolate snack/dessert that I will get to you soon!
Nagi! I can’t even right now! These pictures are ridic! Like probablly my fave on your site…that steam… omg these pictures are pure porn…excuse I am going out for a ciggie…OK I’m back. That was intense 🙂 I make a no bake chocolate pastry that my mama used to make …and people are nuts about it… it makes me happy cuz it’s mama’s recipe and I can now teach everyone how to make it…but you know…this recipe…it makes me think of a VERY exciting twist 🙂 Stay tuned. And wow… those pics… have mercy.
No bake chocolate pastry? I need that recipe….I’ll do a twist on that, you do a twist on this!! 🙂 (P Your enthusiasm CRACKS ME UP!!) N x
Done! Here is the linky 🙂 http://wp.me/p40Zjn-1ng
Already got it and saved it!! 🙂
Hi Nagi! You are too kind! But I have to agree that it doesn’t get much easier or better than these “alternative” Reese’s! 🙂
Dorothy, I honestly cannot tell you the ridiculous number of times I have made this!! 🙂 Thank you again for this recipe. Game changer in my “sweets” repertoire which is quite small!! 🙂
These look fantastic – I’m marveling over their clean, precise lines! I’m totally okay with crackers being listed as an ingredient, but I’m totally with you about feeling cheated when one of a 5-ingredient recipe is something like enchilada sauce or cake mix. The difference, in my opinion, is that it’s not unreasonable to have to throw together some extra ingredients to make up an enchilada sauce, but no one wants bake homemade crackers just to crush them up into a crust.
That’s that’s so true…I didn’t think of it like that!! It totally doesn’t make sense to make biscuits simply to crush them. Thanks for validating my logic!! 🙂